Harry Conrad Cockburnhttp://www.newstatesman.com/writers/harry_conrad_cockburn
enhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital/2011/07/381-382-ideology-spain-market
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>&quot;Don&#039;t underestimate how far ideology has penetrated our daily lives,&quot; says Slavoj Žižek.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110704_20091029_4309zizek2_w_w.jpg?itok=3fNtopjR" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-07-06T15:35:02 --><p>Speaking at Cadogan Hall on Friday, the self-proclaimed "radical leftist" philosopher Slavoj Žižek gave a remarkably ebullient lecture on pessimism. The Marxist intellectual sought to convince his audience in Knightsbridge that "ideology is still alive and kicking" and that history has not ended.</p>
<p>This year has seen a serious academic reappraisal of Marx, with Terry Eagleton and Eric Hobsbawm both publishing books on the continuing relevance of capitalism's fiercest opponent. Introduced to the 500-strong audience as "The superstar messiah of the New Left", Žižek was received with reverence. No-one was there by mistake.</p>
<p>A consummate performer, Žižek treated the crowd to a series of entertaining anecdotes, using references to popular culture to show how ideology is sewn throughout the fabric of our lives. "The film Black Swan", he said, "resuscitates one of the most unpleasant myths of anti-femininity. If as a woman you are to follow your career path, you will pay the price of death." Laughter rumbled through the auditorium, but Žižek was serious. "Do not concede to the enemy too much."</p>
<p>His analysis of contemporary ideological trends emphasises our ability to accept profound contradictions in society. What he terms the "fetishist function of ideology", the focus on a singular component of life, is explanation for our ideological delusions. Žižek cites the managers of big businesses in the US who take Buddhist meditation classes in their lunch break, before playing the stock market in the afternoon. The fetish is the delusional belief in one's "good" inner-self, despite the evidence of one's actions. "This", he said, "explains why and how most of us believe scientists, that something catastrophic is going to happen, but we are not prepared to act upon it."</p>
<p>Žižek is at his most urgent in his denunciation of capitalism and the dangers of allowing market forces into diverse areas of society. "We are living in a strange time, when public space for debate is becoming more privatised . . . The education and legal systems are the hegemonic organisations as the state presents itself more and more as a market oriented operation," he said. "Just as in voting we are consumers looking for the best deals."</p>
<p>Reflecting on the decline of sex in Hollywood movies, Žižek atttributes it to the perception of love as a dangerous ungovernable force that doesn't sit comfortably in the market. "We want love without drama." And he believes we are being sold it.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, "change is in the air," he said. "Greece, Spain, here a little bit." Many in the audience shifted uneasily. "It's wonderful. Spain depressed me though. Making demands of democracy from above rather than saying 'we will do it.' We live in hopeful times, but very dangerous times... But it's not the revolution, it is the day after. The left does not have one idea."</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:48:07 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39435 at http://www.newstatesman.comhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital/2011/06/british-museum-figurine-art
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Rare marble figurine purchased with help from the Art Fund.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110630_britmus_2_cycladic_figure_w.jpg?itok=9EV44MNM" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-06-30T16:56:09 --><p>A 21cm-tall "hunter-warrior" Cycladic figurine created between 2300-2200 BC has become the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">British Museum</a>'s latest acquisition. It is the first male figurine of its type to be added to the collection.</p>
<p>These geometric marble sculptures were produced by the Cycladic civilisation, which flourished among the islands of the Aegean Sea between 3300 - 2000 BC. This example is of particular significance because, among existing figurines, only five per cent are male. The British Museum currently has 25 female figurines.</p>
<p>There is no firm consensus regarding the role these figurines played in Cycladic life. Several competing theories include that the sculptures are representations of deities, are fertility symbols, or were used as part of funerary customs, as many have been found at burial grounds. Much of their modern appeal, due to their simplistic design and smooth, featureless abstraction, <a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/cycladic/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">belies</a> the fact that originally the angular marbles were painted in bright colours.</p>
<p>This figurine had previously been in the collection of the eminent abstract-expressionist artist <a href="http://www.paalen-archiv.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Wolfgang Paalen</a> (1905-1955), and has since been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.</p>
<p>The British Museum purchased the piece with help from the <a href="http://www.artfund.org/buynationalartpass/?utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=art%20fund&amp;utm_campaign=Head%20Terms&amp;utm_source=google" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Art Fund</a>, which gave £100,000 towards the total cost of £302,998.</p>
<p>It goes on display at the museum on Tuesday 5 July.</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:56:47 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39383 at http://www.newstatesman.comhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/06/miliband-decade-asymmetric
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>David Miliband on a decade of &quot;asymmetric decay&quot;.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110628_98608060_w.jpg?itok=WR1A-mx0" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-06-28T13:09:59 --><p>Speaking last night, David Miliband outlined the reasons why he believes the last decade has been the most traumatic for the west since the 1930s.</p>
<p>At an event organised by Intelligence Squared, titled Ten Years after 9/11: The World Remade, the former foreign secretary gave a breakdown of what he described as the "degeneration" of old power structures, and stressed the importance of recognising the need for coherent global interdependence.</p>
<p>Miliband argued that over the past decade, three key features of the international stage have been eroded: Firstly, the historic dominance of the United States; secondly, the shift in the balance of power as a result of this, and thirdly, the deterioration of shared sovereignty in the European Union.</p>
<p>He described America as "a reluctant empire" that has had an increasing focus on internal affairs since Bill Clinton ended his second term. No cogent enemies have raised the US ire other than disparate groups inhabiting the Afghan "Badlands", these semi-independent factions being taken on by the American government in an al-Qaeda instigated "detour" of foreign policy. Miliband likened the sum of individual acts of anarchy against the west to the domination of Microsoft's failed online encyclopaedia by the publicly edited Wikipedia, a relationship he termed "asymmetric decay".</p>
<p>He highlighted what he called a "fundamental divide between politicians and academics over how to create an interdependent world". Some prefer to cling to the cosy notion of the nation-state, Miliband said, while progressive groups expound the virtues of shared sovereignty and a recognition of the increasing role of the individual.</p>
<p>"When we talk about the balance of power we have to talk about people not just states," he said. "The west is going to have to rediscover the joys of multilateralism." </p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:10:33 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39292 at http://www.newstatesman.comhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital/2011/06/xinhua-news-tax-report-weiwei
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>&quot;Confession&quot; over tax evasion and ill health led to release, Xinhua news agency report.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110622_111510311_w.jpg?itok=uf97aRIS" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-06-30T13:20:59 --><p>Chinese State media have released a statement saying that the artist Ai Weiwei has been released, having reportedly confessed to crimes.</p>
<p>The internationally renowned artist and political activist was arrested at Beijing Airport on 3 April, and has been held in a secret location without access to a lawyer.</p>
<p><em>Xinhua</em> news agency has reported that a confession of tax evasion, and Ai's poor health were both factors in his release. No current whereabouts were given, and his family have not been formally notified.</p>
<p>The report adds that "Ai has shown a good attitude in confessing his crimes" and he reportedly pledged to pay back taxes he owed, having been linked to a company called "Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd" that owed a "huge amount" of tax.</p>
<p>No information was given about any of Ai's colleagues, who went missing at the same time.</p>
<p>Ai Weiwei's contemporary art sculptures <em>Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads</em> is currently on display in the courtyard of <a href="http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/ai-weiwei-circle-of-animals-zodiac-heads" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Somerset House</a>, and an exhibition of his work at the <a href="http://www.lissongallery.com/#/exhibitions/2011-05-13_ai-weiwei/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Lisson Gallery</a> runs until July 16.</p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:58:15 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39187 at http://www.newstatesman.comhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital/2011/06/simon-armitage-poetry-poem
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Simon Armitage and co. at King&#039;s Place.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110621_106969356_w.jpg?itok=Ew5vKak-" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-06-30T12:36:01 --><p>How easy is it to combine poetry and illustration into a cohesive live performance? The charity <a href="http://www.poetinthecity.co.uk/home" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Poet in the City</a> answered this question at an enormously successful event last night that showed how fertile communication between words and pictures can be.</p>
<p>In an imaginative format, three poets and three illustrators took to the stage two at a time, and while the authors read their poems, visual counterparts to the words were drawn live by the illustrators, whose pens scurried across pages that were projected onto a huge screen. "Like someone doing 'rabbit ears' behind you in a photo," as Simon Armitage noted afterwards.</p>
<p>The poet and performance artist Heather Phillipson's introspective and humorous family saga poems were flamboyantly accompanied by the inkwell and nib of the illustrator Nick Hayes. Man-eating great white sharks vied with mashed potato and recalcitrant husbands for a place at the illusory table, Phillipson's deadpan delivery underscored by Hayes's rapid sketching.</p>
<p><em>Vertical blinds</em>, Colette Bryce's poem about bipolarism was artfully visualised by Philippa Johnson as strips of masking tape were pulled off one surface to reveal another, a visual metaphor that when combined with the sounds of the peeling tape, leant an appropriately peculiar atmosphere to the piece.</p>
<p>Simon Armitage was joined by <a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com/chrisriddell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">Chris Riddell</a>, the <em>Observer</em>'s political cartoonist.</p>
<p>"If you had asked me before, whether I thought the format could work, I would have said 'no'," Armitage said later, "but I wanted to do it because it was so different from a lot of readings I do, and I thought it could be a good performance."</p>
<p>Reading some of his more wry poetry, Armitage worked with Riddell to produce a drily funny series of pieces. <em>The English Astronaut</em>, a poem considering the comparatively unglamorous spacemen of Britain, was visualised by Riddell in a glib cartoon as a hammy bald man in a space suit and worked particularly well:</p>
<blockquote><p>I followed him in his Honda Accord to a Little<br />Chef on the A1, took the table opposite, watched<br />him order the all-day breakfast and a pot of tea.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>"With illustration, there's the risk of divesting a poem of its meaning," Armitage says when asked whether he feels illustration can always enhance poetry. "But the pictures in books like <em>Winnie the Pooh</em> and <em>Wind in the Willows</em> always stay with you."</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:59:05 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39140 at http://www.newstatesman.comhttp://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/star-spangled-staggers/2011/06/anthony-weiner-thought-stupid
<div class="field field-name-field-subheadline field-type-text-long field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Anthony Weiner&#039;s crotch-shots weren&#039;t a moment of madness - it actually takes a lot of thought to do</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><figure class="clearfix field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-fullnode-image" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/fullnode_image/public/articles/2011/20110617_114964205_w.jpg?itok=kTT9LYXg" width="510" height="348" title="width" /></figure></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-fulltext"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <!-- Generated by XStandard version 2.0.0.0 on 2011-06-17T13:43:55 --><p>The "Weinergate" scandal finally came to a close yesterday as high profile New York Democrat Anthony D. Weiner resigned from Congress. It came to light that he'd sent a young woman pictures of himself wearing tight pants on the internet, as well as admitting to the sending of lewd messages to six other women. A full-blown penis shot emerged later too.</p>
<p>As far as high profile prurience goes, which in international news circles is quite some distance, this is a particularly amusing story. There're none of the harrowing marriage ending affairs or secret children of the Schwarzenegger case and none of the creepiness of the Strauss-Khan scandal. In fact, there wasn't even any real attempt at shagging at all.</p>
<p>What's amazing is the chain of thought Weiner must have gone through in order to take these pictures of himself, and publish them without thinking he'd be found out. Did he put the camera on a timer, pull down his trousers, and waddle back in front of the lens? Or did he just hold the camera at arms length and point it at his groin?</p>
<p>Having taken these photographs, this 46-year-old married man and mayoral candidate, obviously decided that they were pretty damn good, because he would then have had to upload them from his camera, evaluate them on the screen and save them onto his computer, before sending them to a girl he'd never met, trusting her not to tell anybody.</p>
<p>Incredibly, none other than notorious White House philanderer Bill Clinton stepped in to hastily condemn Weiner, claiming that he is "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/16/anthony-weiner-resigns-twitter-scandal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onkeypress="window.open(this.href);return false;">livid</a>", and extracting an apology from the shamed Weiner.</p>
<p>In a further twist to the tale, Weiner happens to be friends with Ben Affleck, having met him while the actor was researching his role for the film <em>State of Play</em> in 2009. Affleck plays a young congressman who gets involved in a sex-scandal that eventually destroys his political career.</p>
<p>Update: For those unaware of the phenomenon of "sexting" - essentially sending pictures of your junk over the internet - this helpful video explains the dangers and offers a warning. A warning that Weiner ignored.</p>
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</div></div></div>Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:18:52 +0000Harry Conrad Cockburn39073 at http://www.newstatesman.com